The present invention relates to skirted fishing lures and, in particular, to so called "bass jigs" which are formed in various constructions to advantageously support a silicone rubber skirt at a cavity formed into the head, to recess a hook eye and shelter a fish line attachment and to provide a rolling retrieval action.
With the expanded popularity of sport fishing and, in particular, bass and walleye fishing has come myriad different lures. The lures are designed from varieties of materials and in varying shapes and colors to enable fishermen and women to present a variety of basic offerings or presentations for top water, mid-water and bottom fishing. Each presentation is tailored to a particular application, for example, the structure being fished, zone of fish suspension, the mood of the fish, or the weather. Colors and attractors are attached to accentuate the offerings. The different lures enhance the fisher person's ability to match conditions and entice a strike.
One common lure which is fished along the bottom of a lake or river is a lead head jig. Such lures typically provide a 1/4 to 1 ounce lead head which is molded to an appropriate up-turned eye hook that can be sized up to 5/0. Large numbers of such jigs exist and which exhibit differing head designs, dressing attachment flanges and hook shapes, not to mention the attached dressings. The jigs are formed to accept and/or are fitted with various dressings, for example, wire forms and spinner blades, plastisol bodies and multi-filament skirts, to enhance movement or attractant qualities. Many are also constructed to provide audible sound and to include weed guards.
Large numbers of commercially available jigs can be found upon reference to available national and regional fishing tackle catalogs. Each catalog typically provides a number of jigs designed for different fish species. A cross section of the available jigs, which are particularly tailored to bass fishing, are shown in an article "Bass Jigs & Beyond" by Steve Quinn, The In-Fisherman (Vol. 19, No. 2, March, 1994, pp. 76-83).
In spite of the myriad numbers of different jigs, the hook eye is normally left exposed at the head. That is, the circular eye completely protrudes from an appropriate surface of the head. Any accessory eyelets, such as for attaching trailer or stinger hooks, are normally also positioned to be exposed. While an exposed eye facilitates fish line attachment, the line and knot are correspondingly exposed to abrasion, especially when fishing weeds, gravel, timber or other abrasive structure.
Most typically, the eye also extends at either 90 or 60 degrees from an axis taken along the shank of the hook. Sixty degrees accommodates straight line retrieval and 90 degrees accommodates erratic, jerking retrieves, which induce a hopping action at the jig.
Multi-filament skirts fitted to the jigs are also normally fitted to flanges that project from the aft end of the jig head. Barbs or an annular ridge may be provided at the flange. The skirts typically are threaded over the flange and positioned in abutment to the head. The skirts may or may not include a cylindrical collar from which a number of filaments trail. Depending upon the structure being fished, the exposed mounting of the skirt, subjects the skirt to abrasion, tearing and bite-off and consequent loss or damage to the skirt which requires replacement.
To overcome the foregoing deficiencies, the improved jigs of the invention were designed to recess the hook eye into the head to shelter the point of fish line attachment and to recess the collar of a skirt dressing into the jig head. Lure and skirt breakoff are thereby minimized.